Hey Happy Birthday!
Nope, not the business. Nor the website. Nor me.
Happy Birthday to 3 people who are an inspiration to me.
One is my nephew, Nicky. My lovely sister’s son, finding his own way in this complicated world.
Another is my partner’s brother Paul, a successful Florida businessman but more important than that is the fantastic relationship those two share.
The third is my Great Aunt By Marriage Aunty Mary. Or rather, it would be, if she was still with us.
Though I like to think a bit of Aunty Mary’s sense of fun and style has stayed with all of us.
First, let me explain why she has such a long, convoluted title. Mary was married to my mum’s Uncle John (stay with me here) who sadly died quite young. John was in the army and, from the photos I’ve seen of him, was a fine, upstanding man with a marvelous mustache and no doubt extremely shiny shoes.
He did well in the army – and also caught the eye of a certain nurse – whilst both were posted in Cyprus.
A white wedding dress wasn’t the thing for Mary, she got married in glorious citrus colours, in the sort of dress Jackie O would have worn years later, topped with a pillbox hat.
When she was widowed unfairly young, Mary bought a quirky split-level house in a tiny Dorset village. She filled it with mementos from her travels and photos of the time she spent with the love of her life. This is when I got to know her better, as we also moved to Dorset around this time.
Mary always introduced herself as “Great Aunt Mary By Marriage”. She always arrived with a flourish and an instructive “You may kiss my cheek” as she walked in.
She had a natural flair and style. She wore chic clothes, always complemented with just the perfect amount of jewellery. She seemed ageless. And she was great fun.
Her favourite joke was:
Aunty Mary: How do you say A-I-R?
Me (or anyone else really!): Air.
AM: How do you say H-A-I-R?
Me: Hair.
AM: How do you say L-A-I-R?
Me: Lair.
AM: Now put them all together and what have you got?
Me: Air Hair Lair.
AM: Air Hair Lair to you too!
I didn’t say it was particularly funny, but it was all in the delivery I guess, in Mary’s clipped army- officer-wife-Queen’s-English-BBC-announcer tone. It always made us laugh, anyway.
Back in the 1980s, Mary had an XR3i. Then a sporty Mazda.
And when the new Minis came out, guess who was one of the first to get one?
It was immaculate in black.
She kept it in her garage, which was carpeted. Of course it was.
Aunty Mary moved house. Still living alone, you would expect her to downsize, wouldn’t you? Nope.
Mary bought a sizable barn conversion in Milton Abbas. You may have seen Milton Abbas on a biscuit tin or a box of chocolates. It’s an even smaller Dorset village, with very few amenities and white thatched cottages lining just one road on a steep hill.
I think she was well into her seventies by then.
We played cards at Aunty Mary’s, learning all her gambling tips. We gingerly picked up and nosed at her antiques when she wasn’t looking. Most of all, though, we giggled.
So happy birthday, Great Aunt Mary By Marriage, wherever you are. Thank you for all the fun.
And if this piece feels self-indulgent, I apologise, but I think we can all learn from my Aunty Mary…
Life is short. Sometimes we lose people who are precious to us, but there is still so much out there for us to experience. Be brave, take chances, buy things that surprise people, be you, do you! Live your own life, with your own unique style.
I’ll raise a gin to the birthday girl – and boys – this evening. It will be a gin in a proper gin glass, Great Aunt Mary By Marriage wouldn’t expect anything less.
Let me know who inspires YOU.
See you next time,
Jo xx.
PS Come along to my Branded & Covered FB Group with Jo Wildsmith to hear more from me, you’ll be very welcome xx.
